The Lost Continents of Lemuria and Mu Quiz

Answer: The Quarterly Journal of Science

Philip Sclater first proposed the Lemuria hypothesis in 1864 in his paper 'The Mammals of Madagascar', published in 'The Quarterly Journal of Science'. At the time, Sclater was secretary of the Zoological Society of London and already well‑known for his work on zoogeographical regions.

His paper focused on classifying Madagascar's mammals and presenting his observations to a scientific readership that respected his authority. Because of his standing in the field, the ideas he introduced, however speculative, were treated seriously within Victorian scientific circles.

Answer: Explaining the distribution of lemurs across the Indian Ocean

During the 19th century, naturalists struggled to explain why lemurs and related species were found in both Madagascar and India, despite the vast Indian Ocean separating them. Fossil evidence and living species showed puzzling similarities that didn't fit the known geography of the time.

Without modern plate tectonics, scientists proposed various land bridges or vanished landmasses to account for these patterns. Lemuria was one such hypothetical solution. It was imagined as a former land connection that allowed species to disperse before the region's current oceanic configuration existed.

Answer: Alfred Russel Wallace

Alfred Russel Wallace, co‑discoverer of natural selection, initially considered Lemuria a plausible explanation for certain biogeographical puzzles. In his 1876 work 'The Geographical Distribution of Animals', he explored how species were arranged across the globe and evaluated earlier proposals, including Sclater's.

Later, he moved away from the idea as he refined his understanding of ancient sea levels and land configurations. He then decided that gradual changes in coastlines and shallow land connections were sufficient to explain the distribution patterns without invoking a sunken continent.

Answer: The Third Root Race

In 'The Secret Doctrine', Helena Blavatsky identified the Third Root Race as the inhabitants of Lemuria. She described them as an early stage of humanity, existing long before modern humans and possessing forms and abilities unlike anything known today.

According to her teachings, these beings gradually transitioned from non‑physical or semi‑physical states into fully material bodies. Their development was a key evolutionary phase in her esoteric system. It represented the emergence of physical reproduction, early consciousness, and the foundations of later human evolution.

Answer: The Indian and Pacific Ocean regions

Blavatsky placed Lemuria across a vast region spanning the Indian and Pacific Oceans. She described it as a continent that once included areas corresponding to modern Australia, Madagascar, parts of Southeast Asia, and numerous Pacific islands. It was seen as an enormous landmass that predated the familiar continents and existed during a remote geological era.

According to her account, only scattered remnants, such as certain islands and archipelagos, survived after the continent's long decline and eventual disappearance beneath the oceans.

Answer: Volcanic eruptions and fire

Blavatsky taught that Lemuria was destroyed primarily through volcanic activity and fire. She described a prolonged period of geological upheaval in which massive eruptions, crustal instability and cataclysms gradually broke the continent apart. Rather than a single sudden event, she saw it as a drawn‑out sequence of disasters that fragmented the landmass over immense spans of time.

The difference in destruction methods between Lemuria and Atlantis was significant in Blavatsky's framework. Lemuria's volcanic end happened millions of years earlier than Atlantis's watery destruction. She suggested this reflected the different natures of the civilisations: Lemuria represented an earlier, more primitive stage of human development, while Atlantis was more advanced but morally corrupt.

Answer: Millions of years ago

According to Blavatsky, Lemuria existed in the distant geological past. She stated that it flourished during what she associated with the Mesozoic era. In her framework, the continent reached its height tens of millions of years before modern humanity and disappeared roughly four million years ago.

This timeline aligned with her belief that human evolution unfolded over vast cosmic cycles rather than the shorter spans recognised by archaeology. By situating Lemuria in this remote era, she positioned it as an early chapter in a long sequence of Root Races.

Answer: The original Garden of Eden and birthplace of humanity

James Churchward portrayed Mu as the original birthplace of humanity, a paradise-like homeland from which all later civilisations descended. In his books, he described Mu as a highly advanced society with sophisticated knowledge of science, spirituality, and architecture. He claimed its population reached tens of millions and that its culture shaped the development of ancient civilisations around the world.

According to his writings, when Mu was destroyed, its survivors carried their traditions to distant lands, seeding the origins of later cultures in regions such as Egypt, India, and the Americas.

Answer: The Pacific Ocean

Churchward located Mu in the Pacific Ocean. He viewed it as a vast continent that once stretched across an area now occupied by Polynesia, Micronesia, and other island groups. He argued that many Pacific islands were the surviving mountaintops of this lost land.

In his interpretation, similarities in symbols, myths, and monumental architecture across the Pacific and parts of the Americas reflected the influence of Mu's civilisation. He used these perceived connections to support his belief that the region preserved fragmented traces of a once‑great continent.

Answer: Ancient tablets shown to him by an Indian priest

Churchward claimed that his knowledge of Mu came from ancient tablets he said were shown to him by a Hindu temple priest during his time in India. According to his account, the tablets were written in a forgotten language and contained a detailed history of Mu, created by a group he called the Naacals.

He said the priest taught him to read the script but insisted the tablets were too sacred to be removed, photographed, or examined by others. Because no independent scholar ever verified their existence, critics regarded his source material as unsubstantiated and impossible to authenticate.